Research in the World lecture report - A virtuous circle: science & technology

14 April 2011

We were very pleased to welcome Professor Sir Richard Friend (Cavendish Professor of Physics, University of Cambridge) to lecture in our ‘Research in the World’ open lecture series on 5 April.

In an informative and inspiring lecture, Sir Richard explored the relationship between science and technology, arguing that advances in basis science were, and are, often dependent on breakthroughs in technology.

He spoke of his own experience of establishing spinout companies and the challenges of nurturing patents into products. This could be a time-consuming, expensive and complex process. But, he argued, the outcomes are not only the economic impact but also, and very importantly, the creation of enhanced opportunities for further scientific developments.

In proposing the vote of thanks Dean of Science Professor David Bird said that the lecture had clear resonance with our experience at Bath: “I’m sure that many scientists in the audience will be able to think of examples in their own careers where a technological edge, in some cases driven by the need of a spin-out company to engineer better and more reproducible materials and devices, has enabled us to open new directions for our research.”

Note:Research in the World: the next lecture in the series is planned for November 2011 and the speaker will be Professor Peter Bruce, University of St Andrew’s. We'll publish further information on the University's Internal Homepage nearer the time.